Sunday, 26 April 2015

News: Massive Fleet Fight in G-5EN2 System

Disclaimer: Due to the chaotic nature of the fight, and the technical
difficulties experienced, many of the figures written in this article
are approximations only. The article was written using first hand
knowledge, interviews and video footage from multiple sources. Some
inaccuracies may still occur.

G-5EN2 system, Providence region. On the 25th of April, at 20:00 EVE Standard Time, no less than 6 fleets clashed in the system, in what would become one of the most infamous battles in the region's history. The fight began when Northern Coalition(dot) [NC] forces removed the defensive Sovereignty Blockade Units in the system, replacing them with their own, as well as reinforcing key infrastructure in the system.This led Providence Bloc to field 3 fleets, a 150 pilot Nightmare Battleship fleet, a Goku Bomber fleet, 70 pilots strong and a Zealot Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet, 50 pilots large.Against this force [NC] brought a Loki Strategic Cruiser fleet, 150 pilots strong, which settled on the 9-F0B2 gate in the system, Providence Bloc's only means of entry.The two forces collided head on, on the 9-F0B2 gate, as Providence Bloc jumped into the Loki fleet. In the first exchange of fire the Loki fleet suffered losses while the mainline ships of the Nightmare fleet managed to tank relatively easy. With their Logistic ships breaking, [NC] lit a cynosural beacon and brought forth 2 Triage Archons as well as 10 tracking Dreadnoughts, in order to counter the battleships.At this point a CFC Harpy fleet entered the fray, some 80 pilots large, warping straight into the middle of the fight and engaging the [NC] Lokis. Providence Bloc decided to retaliate and bring their own Triage support, in the form of 2 Chimera Carriers, and the battle continued in earnest. Providence Bloc showing the power of its Nightmare fleet, as the first Triage Archon for [NC] was nearly destroyed, the second already in armor and the tracking Dreadnoughts next on the list.

As local continued to rise, with such entities as The Gorgon Empire [-GE-] and RvB Ganked entering the system, and the unexpected power and tanking ability of the Providence Bloc Nightmare fleet, the [NC] fleet commanders decided to drop in their Super Capital fleet. Onto the field were brought no less than 80 Titans and Motherships, who promptly destroyed the Providence Bloc's Chimeras, and turned their attention to the Nightmares themselves.At this point [-GE-] Machariel Battleship fleet showed up on grid, some 60 pilots big, choosing to perch above the gate and not committing to the fight while an RvB Ganked Dominix Battleship fleet, around 170 pilots strong, warped straight into the Super Capital blob, coming to the aid of Providence Bloc and starting to brawl with the [NC] forces.

Providence Bloc continued to fight, realizing the hopelessness of their situation, deciding to attempt and take down as many enemy Capitals as possible, thus focusing their attention on the remaining Archon and tracking Dreadnoughts, who one by one succumbed to the dwindling damage.

As the fight continued, Pandemic Legion came into the system as well, bridging behind the lines, and coming from the 9-F0B2 system, jumping straight into the raging battle on the gate. Pandemic Legion brought a 100 pilot strong Protues\Legion Strategic Cruiser fleet, and set its sights on the Nightmare fleet.

By this point, the Providence Bloc fleet was in tatters. Though it managed to snag a few more Dreadoughts and a second Archon, it could not sustain the incoming damage, especially with the addition of the Pandemic Legion fleet on top of it. An attempt was made to de-aggress on the 9-F0B2 gate and extract the remaining Battleships from the system.

The Fight from the viewpoint of Providence Bloc forces, courtesy of Mangraa Dementia

With Providence Bloc forces out of the system, [NC] and Pandemic Legion's attention now turned to the RvB Ganked and [-GE-] fleets which were still in the system. The two forces were hounded across the system, with a couple of bruising skirmishes taking place in safe spots and around the Assah gate. However it became clear the [-GE-] and RvB Ganked forces were not willing to fight, choosing to extract to Low Security space instead.

A chase attempt was made by Pandemic Legion after the retreating RvB Ganked fleet down to the Nakah system in Derelik region. Yet, only a few stragglers were caught, as the RvB Ganked fleet docked in the system's stations, refusing to fight Pandemic Legion. [-GE-] and the CFC fleets both managed to extract as well, leaving [NC] to hold the field.

The Fight from the perspective of [NC], courtesy of SoarXIII

After [NC] withdrew its forces, Providence Bloc took down the Sovereignty Blockade Units and replaced it with their own, allowing them to keep the system.

Battle report for the G-5EN2 system can be found here (Still missing killmails).

The fight proved to be one of the costliest and largest battles fought in recent EVE history. No less than 900 pilots occupied the system at the peak of the fighting, with Time Dilation been an ever present factor, influencing the outcome of the battle greatly as it peaked to 10% and swung wildly as the battle ebbed and flowed.

It is estimated that no less than 400 ships were lost, at an estimated cost of 70 - 100 Bil ISK in damages. However the true figures may be higher, as the killboards have not finished synchronizing at the time of writing.

Regardless, it is plain to see that Providence Bloc suffered a devastating defeat, though gained a moral victory by forcing [NC] to deploy its Super Capital fleet in order to win the fight. With these ever escalating skirmishes over the G-5EN2 system, one may wonder if a peak was reached, or is a second B-R5RB waiting around the corner? Time will tell.Special thanks to Jin'taan of Pentag Blade, Curatores Veritatis Alliance for granting an interview, as well as, Mangraa Dementia of Blue Tridents, Sev3rance and SoarXIII of Militaris Industries, Northern Coalition(dot) for supplying the video footage.